É Corpo, É Alma, É Religião Lyrics in English by Maria Rita
Incendeia comes from the verb incendiar, meaning to ignite or set ablaze. It's a vivid and passionate word that evokes strong imagery of fire and intense emotion.
In the song, Maria Rita sings, "Meu coração incendeia" (My heart ignites). She uses this powerful verb to describe how her heart is set on fire by the rhythm and energy of samba, especially on a full moon night. It beautifully conveys the overwhelming passion and excitement she feels for the music and dance.
Maria Rita opens with a claim and a correction: “Eu não nasci no samba, mas o samba nasceu em mim” (I wasn’t born into samba, but samba was born in me). Samba here isn’t a genre she performs — it took root the moment she “pisei no terreiro” (stepped onto the terreiro, the ground of an Afro-Brazilian ceremony) and heard the pandeiro and tamborim. The chorus calls it “corpo, alma, religião” (body, soul, religion), and the song won’t pin that feeling to one neighborhood: “Tanto faz se é Vila Isabel, se é Padre Miguel, Império ou Formiga” (It doesn’t matter if it’s Vila Isabel, Padre Miguel, Império, or Formiga), naming Rio samba schools as interchangeable homes for the same joy — a beat everybody’s hands already know how to clap.
